Plant-based Christmas recipes for a decadent festive feast

Make these meat-free treats the star of the show this year

Hannah Twiggs
Thursday 24 November 2022 09:03 EST
Comments
A fabulous savoury snack
A fabulous savoury snack (BOSH/Alpro)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Christmas is just around the corner and while the celebrations may look a little different this year, you can still enjoy all the delicious festive treats with this selection of plant-based recipes from Bosh and Alpro.

Whether you’re vegan or just looking to cut back on meat for the holidays, these recipes have got you covered. From the ultimate plant-based potato dauphinoise to mega rich melting espresso pots, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

And the best part is that all these recipes are so easy to make – even the kids can help out.

So get cooking this festive season, treat your taste buds with plant-based delights and have a very merry meat-free Christmas.

Moroccan spiced plant-based sausage rolls with harissa dipping sauce

Makes: 14

Prep time: 35 minutes | Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 red onion

2 garlic cloves

Drizzle of olive oil

Pinch of salt

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp paprika

12 plant-based sausages (approx 500g)

50g dried couscous

½ vegetable stock pot

1 tbsp plant-based spread

1 tbsp rose harissa paste

For the pastry puffs:

2 packs of pre-rolled plant-based puff pastry

1 jar of good quality chilli jam (250g)

For the topping:

4 tbsp Alpro Soya Original drink

Sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds

For the harissa dipping sauce:

100g Alpro Plain No Sugars plant-based alternative to yogurt

50g plant-based mayonnaise

2 tbsp rose harissa paste

1 lime

Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line two baking trays with baking paper and set aside for later.

2. Begin by making the filling. Peel and dice the onion and garlic and place in a warmed saucepan with olive oil and a pinch of salt over a medium heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes until soft.

3. Once soft, add the paprika, ground cumin and ground cinnamon to the saucepan, mix well and cook for a few more seconds. Remove from the heat and leave to one side until needed.

4. Use a knife to slice the plant-based sausages in half and remove the middle from the outer. Place the inside of the plant-based sausage into a medium bowl and mash with a fork.

5. In a separate saucepan over a medium heat, add the couscous and vegetable stock pot and follow the cooking instructions on the couscous packet.

6. Once all of the water has been absorbed and the couscous is cooked, add the plant-based spread and harissa paste and mix well. Add the mashed plant-based sausage and onion mix. Mix this well and leave to one side.

7. Lay out the two pastry sheets on the prepared baking trays and spoon the chilli jam down the middle of each of the pastry sheets lengthways.

8. Divide the plant-based sausage filling in two and spoon into the middle of the pastry sheets over the top of the chilli jam, using your hands to create one long, large cylinder shape along the middle of the pastry.

9. Cut the rolls at lengths of 5cm and crimp the edges using a fork.

10. Add the Alpro Soya Original drink to a bowl and use it to top the rolls ensuring all of the pastry is covered. Sprinkle the top with black and white sesame seeds and cook in the oven for around 25-30 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

11. Whilst the rolls are in the oven, mix together the Alpro Plain No Sugars plant-based alternative to yogurt, plant-based mayonnaise, harissa paste, a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until smooth.

12. Remove the plant-based sausage rolls from the oven when ready and serve with the dipping sauce.

The ultimate plant-based potato dauphinoise

A decadent treat
A decadent treat (BOSH/Alpro)

Serves: 8

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 10 minutes resting | Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

2kg Maris Piper potatoes

Salt

500ml Alpro Oat Original drink

500ml Alpro Soya Single plant-based alternative to cream

2 tsp Dijon mustard

4 garlic cloves, peeled

50g nutritional yeast

200g plant-based alternative to grated cheese

Handful of fresh thyme leaves

Sprinkle of pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Peel and slice the potatoes using a mandolin with a guard or barrier between your hands and the blade (or slice really thinly using a knife), place the slices in a colander and season with 2 teaspoons of salt.

2. Mix the potatoes and salt well to ensure all of the slices are coated. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before rinsing and drying out the potatoes.

3. To make the sauce, place the Alpro Oat Original drink, Alpro Soya Single plant-based alternative to cream, mustard, peeled garlic cloves, nutritional yeast and a small pinch of salt into a pan over a medium heat and heat until the mixture starts to boil. Once boiled, turn off the heat and leave the mixture to rest for at least 5 minutes until straining the mixture to remove the garlic cloves.

4. To assemble the dish, arrange ¼ of the slices of potato in lines on top of one another across the base of a lasagne dish and sprinkle some grated plant-based alternative to cheese over the top of the potato layers. Repeat this process until you have four layers of potato slices and three layers of grated plant-based alternative to cheese (none on the top).

5. Pour the infused sauce over the top of the potatoes and sprinkle the thyme leaves over the top layer of potatoes, along with some pepper.

6. Place the dish in the oven for 50 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

7. Once cooked, turn the oven to grill setting if the top has not already crisped up. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the top layer of potato turns golden brown.

Sticky gingerbread cake with orange plant-based alternative to yoghurt drizzle

Soft, moist, richly flavoured and perfectly spiced
Soft, moist, richly flavoured and perfectly spiced (BOSH/Alpro)

Makes: 1 large cake

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes thickening | Cook time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

300ml Alpro Almond Original drink

½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

300g plain flour

200g soft brown sugar

3 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking powder

150g stem ginger (drained weight)

3 tbsp melted plant-based spread

Handful of dark chocolate chips

For the drizzle:

140g icing sugar

2 tbsp Alpro Plain plant-based alternative to yogurt

Zest of 1 orange

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line a 20cm cake tin and place aside for later.

2. To start, mix together the Alpro Almond Original drink and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Leave to one side for at least 30 minutes to thicken.

3. Once this mixture has thickened, make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, soft brown sugar, ground ginger and baking powder until there are no lumps.

4. Roughly chop a handful of the stem ginger and stir it through the batter, along with the previously prepared Alpro Almond Original drink and apple cider vinegar mixture, melted plant-based spread and dark chocolate chips.

5. Pour the batter into a lined cake tin and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes until cooked through but still a little fudgy. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool a little.

6. To make the orange drizzle, mix together the icing sugar, Alpro Plain plant-based alternative to yogurt and orange zest until smooth.

7. Once the cake is cooled, drizzle the icing over the top of the cake before serving.

Mega rich espresso pots

Mouthfuls of gooey chocolate with a little coffee hit – dreamy
Mouthfuls of gooey chocolate with a little coffee hit – dreamy (BOSH/Alpro)

Serves: 4-6 (depending on the size of your ramekins)

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes thickening | Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For the pots:

100ml Alpro Almond Original drink

½ tsp apple cider vinegar

200g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp cacao powder

300g soft brown sugar

1 shot of espresso

100ml melted plant-based spread (or melted coconut oil)

4 squares of plant-based dark chocolate

For the cream topping (optional):

200g Alpro Soya Single plant-based alternative to cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and gather 4 large or 6 small ramekins.

2. To start, mix together the Alpro Almond Original drink and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl until smooth. Leave to one side for at least 30 minutes to thicken.

3. Once the mixture has thickened, make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, cacao powder and brown sugar until there are no lumps. Add the espresso shot, melted plant-based spread and previously prepared Alpro Almond Original mixture and stir again until a smooth batter forms.

4. To assemble the pots, divide the mixture between 4-6 ramekins (half fill the ramekins) and add a square of plant-based chocolate to the ramekin, on top of the mix, then add the remaining mixture to each ramekin and cook for 20-25 minutes until cooked on the outside but gooey in the middle.

5. Once the pots have been cooked, remove from the oven and serve with Alpro Soya Single plant-based alternative to cream.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in